Chicken soup from leftover roast chicken

Chicken soup from leftover roast chicken
serves 8

Strip remaining meat from chicken carcass and reserve it for the finished soup.

Stock:
Using a cleaver or kitchen scissors, break up the carcass into several smaller pieces so that they will fit in an even layer in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven.

Roast in Dutch oven over medium-high for ~8 minutes:
1 tbsp. olive oil
chicken carcass pieces

Turn pieces occasionally, until lightly browned all over.

Add and simmer for 1.5 hours:
12 cups water
1 medium carrot
1 medium celery stalk
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 fresh thyme sprigs, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Soup:
Strain the stock, then bring the clarified stock back to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Add and simmer 20 minutes:
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh thyme
fresh ground black pepper

Meanwhile, cook 1 cup dried egg noodles if desired.

When the vegetables are tender, add reserved shredded chicken and cooked egg noodles. Simmer until the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Roasted chicken over potatoes and kale

This is my first stab at a low FODMAP recipe from The Quiet Gut Cookbook. Savory cooking without garlic or onion is quite tricky, and it's nice to have some base recipes to riff on.

Roasted chicken over potatoes and kale
serves 4-8

Combine in a large stock pot:
3/4 cup Morton's kosher salt (or 1/2 cup table salt)
8 cups cold water
4-8 chicken leg quarters

Brine in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450.

In a large roasting pan, combine:
1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, sliced with a mandolin to 1/4" thick
1.5 pounds kale, lightly chopped after the central stems are removed

Add and stir to evenly coat the vegetables:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper

Pull the brined chicken out of the refrigerator.

Combine in a small bowl:
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Rub spice mixture under the skin of brined chicken leg quarters. Then place the leg quarters on top of the bed of potatoes and kale.

Seal the roasting pan with foil, and bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165.

To finish, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the roasting pan.


To buy:
4-8 chicken leg quarters
1.5 lb. Yukon gold potatoes
1.5 lb. kale (~2 bunches)

Mashed potatoes with dill (dairy free)

The New York Times recently published a dairy-free mashed potatoes recipe, and I took it upon myself to make it fully FODMAP-compatible. I brought some to Easter supper and they were a big hit.

The dill is optional, but adds a buttery-like quality and a nice zing.

Mashed potatoes with garlic and dill
serves 6-8

Cut 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes into 1-inch chunks.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add potatoes and 2 tsp. salt, and cook at a brisk simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes and mash.

Stir in:
1/4 cup of garlic-infused olive oil
1/2 cup water (to achieve a creamier consistency)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or about 1 Tbsp. dried)

Salmon with cumin and cilantro

Taken from a New York Times recipe.

Salmon with cumin and cilantro
serves 6

Combine in a small bowl:
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 cup olive oil

Place whole salmon fillet on a foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then rub liberally with spiced olive oil mixture.

Cook at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

Combine in a food processor:
2 bunches cilantro, rough chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions or chives
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil + garlic-infused olive oil (3:1 ratio recommended)

After sauce is blended, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve salmon with cilantro sauce spooned over top.

Braised cabbage with bacon

Taken from a Serious Eats recipe, in which the chicken was lackluster but the cabbage was delicious.

Braised cabbage with bacon
6-8 servings

Shred 1 head of green cabbage in a food processor using a slicing disk, as for coleslaw, then set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, brown for about 3 minutes:
8 oz. (1/2 lb.) thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch lardons

Add and cook for 4 minutes, until softened:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Add and cook for 4 minutes, until softened and starting to brown:
1 head green cabbage, finely shredded

Add and deglaze:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard

Add:
3 cups chicken stock
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of thyme

Place into a 350* oven. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half.

Finish with 2 Tbsp. butter.

Thumbprint cookies

Thumbprint Cookies
30 cookies

Use an electric mixer to cream together until fluffy:
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened (1.5 sticks)
2/3 cups sugar

Beat in just until incorporated:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Whisk together and add slowly to the butter mixture:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.

Roll the dough into 1" balls using your palms, then flatten them into fat disks.  Place about 2" apart on baking sheets lined with baking parchment or silicone mats (2 across x 4 down in a half sheet baking pan).

Use a finger to shape an indentation in each disk. A wide, shallow basin makes for the best ratio of jam to cookie.  Fill each with 1/2 tsp. of jam (about 1/3 cups jam total).

Bake 15 minutes at 350, until golden but not browned.  If baking two pans at once, rotate them from top to bottom halfway through.

Remove to wire rack to cool.

Catfish with farro and kale salad

A Blue Apron recipe. The original calls for another element - a grape relish - but the combination of grapes, almonds, and fried rosemary just ended up producing a "peanut butter and jelly" like topping that didn't harmonize with the rest of the dish.

Catfish with farro and kale salad
serves 2

Add 1/2 cup semi-pearled farro to a pot of boiling salted water.  Cook uncovered 16-18 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the pot.

Season 2 catfish fillets with salt and pepper, then coat in flour. In a non-stick skillet, pan fry in 2 tbsp. butter, 5-6 minutes on the first side, 1-2 minutes on the second.

In a second pan, saute for 2-3 minutes:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 bunch kale, destemmed and rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Add and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally:
1/2 c. water

Stir to combine:
cooked faro
cooked kale mixture
2 tsp. lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste